Public Hearings On Power Plant Set For February

December 31, 1998

SOUTHINGTON — Residents will have another chance to state their opinions about a gas-fired power plant proposed for Lazy Lane.

State regulators have set Feb. 23 as the date to inspect the site for the proposed 720-megawatt plant and to hold a public hearing on the project. The regulators -- members of the Connecticut Siting Council -- are expected later this year to decide whether the power plant is an appropriate use for the site.

The schedule calls for siting council members to walk the site, a 73-acre undeveloped parcel of land between Lazy Lane and I-84, at 1:30 p.m., then to hold public hearings at 3 p.m. and at 7 p.m.

A siting council spokeswoman said no decision has been made on whether to set time limits on speakers at the hearing.

The site for the hearing has not been selected, but town council member William DePaolo said he expects it to be held in the auditorium at Derynoski Elementary School, where previous public hearings on the plant took place.

The plant is being proposed by AES Enterprises Inc., a utility company based in Arlington, Va., which operates power plants all over the world.

Residents who wish to submit written statements on the project should do so before the Feb. 23 hearing. Submissions should be sent to: The Connecticut Siting Council, 10 Franklin Square, New Britain, CT. 06051.

Meanwhile, a public hearing before the siting council on a similar plant proposed for the Meriden-Berlin town line will be held Jan. 25, at 3 p.m. and again at 7 p.m., at Platt High School, 220 Coe Ave., Meriden.

That project, a 544-megawatt gas-fired plant, is being proposed by PDC-El Paso Meriden LLC, of Boston.